A Life Unplanned (25 page)

He chuckled a little. "That's a nice bedtime story." He rolled over and pulled me into his arms. "There's just one little catch you missed."

"Yeah, what was that?"

"Well, for one, it's OUR house, and two, the handsome prince needs to marry the beautiful princess first."

"Marry?" I asked with a gasp.

He sat up and shrugged his shoulder. "I sort of saw it going there from the beginning. I've been waiting for the right time, but it seems there never is one. More shit just keeps raining down on us. I think it's starting to finally clear up, though."

"You're serious? You want to marry me?"

He chuckled nervously. "Is that so hard to believe?"

I realized I hadn't said yes. Then it hit me. He didn't know that Mr. Hamilton would be getting off. The shit storm wasn't over. I frowned.

"We don't have to…you know…if you don't want to get married, I understand. I've always known you were an independent woman and…and…"

"Trent, I'm not saying no, but you have to know, Mr. Hamilton will be getting off. The shit storm isn't over yet."

"What?"

"Katherine said he had actual employment papers from the camp, and for Emily to attend, she had to sign papers that also gave them permission to take Emily on fieldtrips. It looks like he's getting off."

"No, no, no!" He punched the wall, leaving a big hole. I glanced at the baby bed, thankful our daughter was still asleep. She wouldn't be for long if he kept going at it like he was. I couldn't hold it against him, though. The poor man couldn't catch a break. I went to reach for him, but he shot across the room and grabbed his jacket. I didn't know where he was going, and I hoped he didn't make an even bigger mess of things with his temper.

He hopped in his car and took off, only wearing his PJ's and a coat. He didn't answer when I called him, so I prayed he'd be safe and didn't do anything stupid. I glanced over at the couch where Emily was fast asleep. We were all stuck in the shit storm. I just hoped it would stop raining soon.

Chapter 30 – Painful Revelations

I went to the kitchen and made myself a cup of tea. There was no way I'd be able to sleep with Trent out this late at night doing who only knew what. I called Brian's phone, intent on leaving a message, but he picked up, sounding half asleep.

"Oh, I'm sorry to wake you. I didn't think you'd pick up."

"S'alright, Clara, what did you need?" he asked a little more awake.

"Mr. Hamilton is getting off from the kidnapping charge. When Trent heard about it, he ran out, and I have no idea where he went."

"How'd Hamilton get the charge dismissed?"

"Somehow, he has papers saying he worked for the camp Emily was attending, and the camp papers Katherine signed said she could go on fieldtrips."

"Yeah, but they left the state, not to mention the questionable conduct of traveling alone with the opposite sex and sharing a hotel room. I think I can pull a few strings and get the camp to confess to the forgery, or they'll be put out of business."

"Thank you, Brian."

Brian cut out for a moment, and he let me know Maylene was calling him. He switched back and told me Trent had laid into Roger, and Maylene wanted Brian to come get him. I told him I'd meet him at the hotel. I bundled up my baby girl and woke Aunt Katherine long enough to ask her to watch Tyler for me. She said it was no problem.

When I arrived at the hotel, there was a cop standing outside Roger and Maylene's room. I really hoped Trent wasn't getting arrested.

"Evening, Officer," I tried to give him a pleasant smile.

"Evening, Ma'am, are you staying on this floor?"

"My family is."

Maylene heard my voice and poked her head out of the open doorway. "Clara, thank heavens, maybe you can talk some sense into those men," she said ushering me inside the room.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to take someone in-" the officer started.

"What on earth for? My husband tripped and fell into the door that smashed my son's hand. Last I checked, being clumsy wasn't against the law, was it, Brian?"

"No, it's not, and since I'm a criminal attorney, I'm very familiar with the law," Brian spoke in a smooth commanding voice.

The officer was a good man, though. He looked straight at Roger. "Just say the word, Sir, and I'll get you out of here, no questions asked."

"What precinct are you from?" Roger asked instead.

"Four. My name's Kevin Perry," he answered pulling out a card and giving it directly to Roger. "You don't have to stay here. They can't stop me from taking you out. Let me take you to a hospital."

Roger smiled and grimaced a little. The man's face was not in a good way. "I'm fine, honest. My son's a doctor," he nodded at Trent, who had his hand in an ice bucket.

I hurried to his side. "What did you do?"

"Smashed it in the door," he growled in Roger's direction.

I was pretty sure he meant Roger's face, not a door.

The cop finally left, and Brian explained his plan to go after the camp in more depth to Trent. It seemed to settle him down.

"I want you to set up a meeting with Hamilton and Sabrina. Roger is going to straighten this shit out once and for all!" Trent insisted.

His dad nodded in agreement. I was surprised he was moving much at all. Maylene said that one of the neighboring rooms had called security and then the police, when they had heard Trent attacking Roger. Trent needed to have his hand looked at, and Roger did need to see a doctor. I was honestly surprised the cop hadn't called an ambulance. Trent insisted his hand wasn't broken, but I didn't believe him. He swore it was just bruised and promised to drive straight home.

I met him at home with an ice pack and painkillers. I tucked him into bed and held my tongue. He didn't need me to yell at him for acting like a fool and trying to kill Roger. He was lucky the cop hadn't taken him in. The last thing he needed was a real criminal record.

The next morning, I told Katherine what had happened. She made the decision to just take Emily and go home. "Things need to settle down more with Roger, before we can talk about the future. I love my brother, but Emily comes first," she said before she left. I couldn't agree with her more. Emily was happy to be going home, but sad to say goodbye to us. She really was a sweet little girl, and I hoped we'd be able to stay in touch with her. The mess that had been made wasn't her fault.

It was nearly a month later before Mr. Hamilton finally agreed to meet with everyone. He was pissed that they had insisted it be with Sabrina as well. Everyone flew to Boston, where her mental hospital was located. The only reason the meeting was even happening was because Brian's paperwork from the music camp was the bomb in the courtroom, which basically gave Hamilton no choice. It was either agree to the meeting or go to jail. I was honestly shocked that Trent had pushed for the meeting over jail time. I had a feeling they had something up their sleeve, so Hamilton would get both, anyways.

There was what looked like a conference room with a two-way mirror set up for the men to meet with her. Maylene and I stood outside, ready to watch them.

Roger had stopped before he went in and begged her to forgive him for what he was about to do. "I just need to get her to speak, and I think I know how. Please, believe me when I say I love you, and I'm sorry for everything. Maylene, I don't want to lose you."

"Go fix your son's life," she answered coldly.

He nodded and entered the room. We all had been informed that Sabrina had a difficult time knowing what year it was and would often mix up 
when
 she was. Apparently, she frequently thought she was still young and dating her husband. They were hoping Roger could take her back further in time and get her to speak the truth. Her not being fully lucid to her life would make it impossible for her to lie to anyone, and they all knew that. I just hoped it was enough to stop Mr. Hamilton from any further action against Trent.

Sabrina was sitting at the table, coloring in a book like a child, when Roger entered. He walked around the back of her chair, and Mr. Hamilton made to step forward, but Brian put his arm up to stop him.

"Doodling again, Ms. Carter? What am I going to do with you?" Roger asked seductively, and it really creeped me out.

She looked up at him and recognized him instantly. "Roger!"

"Shush, you know we can't draw attention to ourselves." She giggled and nodded yes. He sat down next to her. "We only have a few minutes before the conference starts, Kitten," he touched her cheek softly.

"I can be fast," she said jumping into his lap and kissing him.

Maylene gasped next to me. We both stood with our mouths hanging open. I was grateful Mr. Hamilton's lawyer was in there, because he was helping Brian hold Mr. Hamilton and Trent back. Both looked livid. Maylene just looked ready to storm out, but I took her hand and squeezed it in support.

"Slow down, Kitten. We'll have time for that after work."

"Are we working late again this evening?" she asked. Her hand slid down between them. We didn't see where it went, but it was obvious where it stopped by the way Roger shifted and jumped a little.

He grabbed it and brought to his lips and kissed it. "Yes, it'll be just us again tonight. We can take our time then."

"When are you going to leave her? You're not happy. I can make you happy." She ground her hips down on him.

"Do you really want me, Kitten? I want the truth. I need to know before I make any final plans. I don't want to leave her and have you run off."

"It's not you I'm running away from. I promise to stay with you." She leaned in and kissed him.

He kissed her back and then cradled her face in his hands. "Who are you running from?"

She looked down, not answering him. "I found something else I wanted." She pulled the coloring book over. She flipped to the page where a cat was driving a car. "If you really love me, you'll get me this car. Do you love me?"

"Yes, you know I do. Whatever you want, it's yours."

"You promise?" she asked wide-eyed.

"Anything for you, Kitten." He kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter. She cried into his shoulder.

"I need help, Roger."

He leaned back to see her face. "Of course, anything for you."

"He's going to sell me again. I need to get away. Can you get us a place, please? I don't want to be with anyone but you."

I think we all were shocked at her words.

Roger hugged her, and you could see the sincerity in it this time. "I promise to never let them hurt you. Who is selling you?"

"My dad, I don't want him to get in trouble. He lost a lot of money, and some bad people are coming after him. He used me to hold them off. Please, Roger, can you help him? Can you pay them, so they'll leave my family alone?"

"Yes, yes, of course. I don't want anyone else touching you, either. I'm so sorry, Sabrina. I wish you would've told me sooner."

"I had to be sure that you loved me more, that you'd choose me over your wife. I promise to make you happy, Roger."

"You've always made me happy, Kitten."

"Now that I know you picked me, I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Beautiful?"

"I'm pregnant, Roger. We're gonna have a baby," she looked up at him nervously.

He played his part well. He smiled and kissed her cheek softly. "I'll bet she's going to be a beautiful little girl. Thank you for having her."

Something in what he said changed Sabrina's demeanor. She suddenly looked panicked. "Roger, they have her. They won't let me see her. I'm so sorry. I didn't know you loved me more. I didn't know you were choosing us. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. They think she's Trent's. She's not. I promise she's not. I was just trying to get the money to help my dad, so he wouldn't use me again. Please, please help me get my baby back. I'm sorry I lied. Please, don't be mad. I didn't want them to touch me again."

"Shush, I'm not mad, Kitten. Now that I know why you said Trent raped you, I'm not mad at all. He didn't really hurt you, did he?"

"Trent?" she sounded confused.

"Did Trent rape you, Kitten? If he did, I'm going to be very angry with him."

"No, no, he didn't. I just needed you to give me money to help my dad."

"Okay, I promise to take care of it. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

"Can you get our baby back? She's beautiful, Roger. She has your hair. I want to be a family. Promise me that we can be a family."

"Yes, of course. I love you. I'll get her back."

She started crying and hugged him tighter. He looked over her shoulder at Mr. Hamilton, who looked downright broken.

The truth was finally out. The real villain had been exposed. I think we were all sick to hear about Sabrina's father.

Mr. Hamilton pulled out a chair and sat at the table. Sabrina heard it and turned to look at him. She climbed off Roger's lap and sat back in her seat. You could tell she was studying him, trying to place him.

"I like the colors you used," he said pointing to the picture in her coloring book.

She nodded at him. I didn't think Roger's presence registered anymore.

"You're very pretty," he said with a small smile.

Her smile was genuine. "Thank you. You're very handsome."

"Can I hold your hand?" he asked, holding out his, ready to take hers.

She slipped her hand into his and their smiles widened. He ran his finger over where her wedding ring should have been. Her brow furrowed, and she looked down at where his thumb was.

"I'm supposed to have a ring," she said focused on her finger.

"Yes, you have a ring, but the doctor is worried you'll hurt yourself with it."

"You gave it to me," she said finally putting some pieces together.

"Yes, you're my wonderful wife."

"I…I think I miss you sometimes. I'm not sure if I remember everything. Can you tell me?"

"Always," he promised.

Brian and Mr. Hamilton's lawyer ushered Trent out and waved for Roger to follow. The sad life Mr. Hamilton had lived unfolded before us. He loved his wife more than anything, but he couldn't have her. She was trapped in her own mind, out of his reach.